Atomic Heart, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, and more hit Xbox Game Pass this month

What you need to know

• Microsoft typically announces fresh waves of upcoming Xbox Game Pass additions twice a month.
• The first wave for Feb. 2023 has been revealed, with six games included in the batch.
• Noteworthy additions include Atomic Heart, Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, Cities: Skylines Remastered, and more.
• Madden NFL 23 is also joining the Game Pass lineup via EA Play, included in Xbox Game Pass Ultimate.

One of the most exciting aspects of being a gamer invested in the Xbox ecosystem is watching the Xbox Game Pass suite of services expand over time with new titles and perks. After the holidays break, Microsoft seems to be getting back on track with regular bi-monthly wave announcements. On Wednesday, we got our first look at the new batch of games heading to Xbox Game Pass in the next few weeks.

Xbox Game Pass in the first half of Feb. 2023 includes six games, according to Microsoft, perfectly replacing the six games slated to leave the service halfway through the month. There are some great titles for Xbox Game Pass subscribers, including the highly anticipated Atomic Heart, critically acclaimed Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord, and even the newly announced Cities: Skylines Remastered.

Several of these new Xbox Game Pass arrivals could be easy picks among the best Xbox Game Pass games, although it is sad to see great games like Besiege leave the service. Of course, CrossfireX is leaving Xbox Game Pass because the entire game is, unfortunately, shutting down.

In case you missed it, Windows Central recently got an opportunity to look at early gameplay footage for four upcoming Xbox Game Pass games, including The Last Case of Benedict Fox and Planet of Lana. As good as this month looks for Microsoft's premier gaming service, the rest of 2023 looks even better thanks to a number of upcoming indies, first-party Xbox releases, and more.

The full list of games heading to Xbox Game Pass in the first half of Feb. 2023 includes:

Feb. 9

• Madden NFL 23 (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox One, & PC)
• SD GUNDAM BATTLE ALLIANCE (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox One, PC, & Xbox Cloud Gaming)

Feb. 14

• Mount & Blade II: Bannerlord (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox One, PC, & Xbox Cloud Gaming)

Feb. 15

• Cities: Skylines Remastered (Xbox Series X|S Optimized & Xbox Cloud Gaming)

Feb. 16

• Shadow Warrior 3 Definitive Edition (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox One, PC, & Xbox Cloud Gaming)

Feb. 21

• Atomic Heart (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox One, PC, & Xbox Cloud Gaming)

Leaving Feb. 15

• Besiege — Game Preview (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox One, PC, & Xbox Cloud Gaming)
• CrossfireX (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox One, & Xbox Cloud Gaming)
• Infernax (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, Xbox One, PC, & Xbox Cloud Gaming)
• Recompile (Xbox Series X|S Optimized, PC, & Xbox Cloud Gaming)
• Skul: The Hero Slayer (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, & Xbox Cloud Gaming)
• The Last Kids on Earth and the Staff of Doom (Xbox Series X|S, Xbox One, PC, & Xbox Cloud Gaming)